Two-headed comic

So I hung out in this adorable comic book shop last night. While perusing the shelves I stumbled upon this book entitled "Ballad of the Two-Headed Boy". That has got to a be a Neutral Milk Hotel reference, right? I mean it came out in 2000 and even the black and white sketches seem Aeroplane-esque.
Just thought I'd throw that out there and if anyone knows for sure, hit us up in the comments. Also I'll take any excuse I can get to post this song:

Two-Headed Boy - Neutral Milk Hotel
Two-Headed Boy - the Mountain Goats (Neutral Milk Hotel cover)

Did your holiday party have a Neutral Milk Hotel cake??

So as you may or may not know, Julian Koster (of Neutral Milk Hotel(!!!!) and The Music Tapes fame) is gracious enough to perform Christmas carols in random strangers home across the country with his magical saw. And magical it is. Along with two of his bandmates and a set of plastic nutcrackers, illuminated sheep and strands of holiday lights, they play the classics (sing-along fave Jingles Bells, the majestic O Tannenbaum) along with a couple of originals. With an ethereal hum, the saws, all of which have names mind you, sung their little hearts out (Believe me these saws have hearts, just as much as they have teeth). As you might imagine, seeing an indie-pop legend in the comfy confines of your friend's living room is a pretty awesome intimate experience. Especially given the old-school decorations and endearing holiday stories. (Julian's imitation of his grandfather spinning a yarn about an old man eating his hat was downright adorable).

Get a sense of the magic with this video taken at a caroling event last year:

And honestly the Elephant 6 collective makes a much better party theme than ugly sweaters. I mean did your holiday bash have an In the Aeroplane Over the Sea cake?! Or King of Carrot cake cupcakes? I think not.
Special thanks to Tom Williams at Radio Exile for hosting. All photos by Sarah Mulligan. Check out even more at her flickr page.

The post in which I wimp out on saying Hi to Jeff Mangum

Maybe you've already read my many fangirlish tweets about it, but yes I stood just inches away from Jeff Mangum, aka Mr. Neutral Milk Hotel last night. It was at the Cake Shop, an itty bitty NYC venue, decked out with Christmas lights and tinsel. Athens, GA-based band Nana Grizol was performing (truly an outstanding live act, by the way). Several of Nana's members were in Neutral Milk Hotel so it's probably no surprise Jeff was there supporting his former bandmate's new projects.

I recognized him right away. In fact he was wearing this very outfit, down to the lumberjack shirt and paperboy hat. Like he was in uniform, or perhaps in costume, like a superhero: I didn't say hi. I just gawked and starred. And yes I know he's human just like everybody else and not some mythical creature, but a part of me was just so in awe to witness the corporeal flesh of a dude who crafted one of the finest life-affirming albums to quote Kanye, "OF ALL TIME". I feel bad for making my star-struck-ness so apparent. But I didn't say hi, though I saw a few people hug him (I figured they were just old friends or acquaintances). I restrained myself from screaming "Jesus Christ, I love you", which was not very hard given my acute shyness. But just thought I'd pass along word that he does very much exist and I'm glad I caught a glimpse of such humanity.

And some songs to celebrate:
Circle of Friends - Neutral Milk Hotel
Love You More Than Life - Neutral Milk Hotel

Yet ANOTHER awesome cover

We're on an awesome live cover roll. Earlier this week The Hold Steady covered the Mountain Goats and now I just discovered this gem of a cover. While it's not brand new (it was recorded in Febraury) it's still an absolute thrill to hear Frightened Rabbit cover Neutral Milk Hotel's "Song Against Sex". Their lovely acoustic rendition lends the song a unique Scottish flair, yet still maintains the original's earnestness. Enjoy!

Results of experimenting with sleep deprivation on bloggers.

Sometimes you need only the slightest, most vacuous reason to post something you love. For me, it's this endlessly amusing picture, leading into a serious of "things I found while Googling NMH for the umpteenth time":

Draw your own conclusions about deep meaning. In the meantime, here's a random live cut for you:

Neutral Milk Hotel - Mother (live with Chris Knox).mp3

This you have (probably) seen:


...but if not, BREATHE INTO A PAPER BAG IF YOU NEED TO; I'M SURE IT IS PHOTOSHOPPED. I mean, it just HAS to be, right?? Paris probably thinks "Holland, 1945" is a perfume. ZING!

Neutral Milk Hotel - Holland, 1945.m4a

OH SHIT. NO. WAIT:



for the love of God, they better BOTH be photoshopped. Otherwise, I might either have to start liking Paris, or disliking NMH. Both are too intolerable to consider.

...and these two are just plain WRONG:



I am soooooo going to sleep now.

Instrumentals

Because sometimes there are just no words.

Tori Amos - Over It (B's Over the Pool mix).mp3 from the "Y Kant Tori Mix" Bootleg.
A soft, dreamy, ethereal a cappella which might be considered an early mash-up, if they weren't both Tori songs and didn't result in quite such a perfect blend. I listen to this much more than either of the two original songs the create it.
"The Pool" is originally found on the Winter EP and "Over It" is part of an instrumental piano suite found on the God single.

Estradasphere - Six Hands.mp3 from Palace Of Mirrors
All their songs are instrumental, and it's a good thing: The degree of brash, cacophonous complexity would only be burdened by the presence of any lyrics. This short punch of a song screams "CIRCUS!" with its calliope-like staccato piano that surely must only be played with six hands.

Sufjan Stevens - Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou).mp3 from Michigan
Yia-Yia & Pappou are code named for Dear Abby and her sister, Ann Landers, both Michigan natives as well. Deliberate and cerebral, this instrumental pause of heavenly vocalizations backing hesitant piano in an otherwise richly poetic album, serves as a moment of silence for reflection.

Mason Williams - Classical Gas.mp3 from The Mason Williams Phonograph Record
A favorite of mine since I was a kid. Hard to believe this song is 40 years old! His most well-known and one of his best pieces, this guitar-based classic builds to full orchestral blast in barely over three minutes.

Neutral Milk Hotel - Untitled.mp3 from In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
Not sure if I love it or hate it when there's a fucking amazing album with a single instrumental track in the middle of it. Bagpipes, and roaring trombone are the signatures in this admittedly very odd song.

Islands - Tsuxiit.mp3 from Return To The Sea
Very similar to the above: the single instrumental track dividing (uniting?) the halves of a 11-star (our of four stars) album. Featuring gongs, piano, fluttery synthesizer and of course strings, this Instrumental Intermission cleanses the palate in a cheery way.

Sunn O))) & Boris - N.L.T..mp3 from Altar
NOT a relaxing piece, and definitely not for grandma. If you've never heard Sunn O))), it's like drinking two bottles of Robitussin, then putting a Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath vinyl on at 20 RPM, adjust the 100khz up to max, and putting the speakers on the floor.

Jeff Buckley - Peace Offering.mp3 from ??????
Sorry for the (lack-of) sound quality on this one; it's an ultra-rare/random/unreleased/b-side/whatever from back in the day. To give you a Jeff Buckley song without his gorgeous vocals seems like a crime, but this only showcases what talented songwriter and guitarist he was.
What? You don't own Grace? SHAME ON YOU. BUY IT.

Two Gallants - Instrumental Song.mp3 from Live at The Independent
This punchy rock piece holds more than a bit of southern flavor as it boldly twings and jangles through the night, driven by relentless drums and a walking baseline, occasionally pausing and delivering what can only seem like a musical punch line.
Buy their Self-Titled Album.

Aphex Twin - Avril 14th.mp3 from Drukqs
One of my favorite instrumental pieces of all time. This short, soft piano piece plucks along gently and makes good use of the residual instrument sounds, as if caught wandering and daydreaming.

Django Reinhardt - Limehouse Blues.mp3 from The Complete Django Reinhardt and Quintet of the Hot Club of France, Swing-HMV Sessions 1936-1948
If you've never heard Django play, then you've missed out on one of the greatest guitarists of our--or our parents' or grandparents'--time. His light, cheery strums bounce along jazz beats with incomprehensible complexity for such a feather-touch sound. Paired here with violin reminiscent of Andrew Bird's early works, this is a happy piece to lift any mood.

Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson & Sigur Rós - Pictures & Memory.mp3 from Angels of the Universe OST
Hot Icelandic-on-Icelandic action! Here the two artists team up for the floaty, gorgeous soundtrack to the 2004 documentary of aerial scenes of Iceland. The rich violin is backed by Sigur Rós' classic dreamy soundscape.

Philip Glass - Metamorphosis One.mp3 from Solo Piano
Think: Gershwin Plays Gershwin. The only other song that could be considered a "classical" selection here (I could have all-too-easily done an all-classical mix!) but is probably the best example of the all-explaining joke:

Knock, Knock.
Who's there?
Knock, Knock.
Who's there?
Knock, Knock.
Who's there?
Knock, Knock.
Who's there?

Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass

Happy Mother's Day

Send her a card, or hey, better yet, make her a mix of all things maternal:

• Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Happy Mother's Day.m4a
  
• Neutral Milk Hotel - Mother (live with Chris Knox).mp3
  
• Beulah - Your Mother Loves You Son.m4a
  
• Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives.mp3
  
• Jeff Buckley - Mama You've Been On My Mind (Bob Dylan cover).mp3
  
• The Decemberists - My Mother Was A Famous Trapeze Artist.mp3
  
• The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health.mp3
  
• Elliott Smith - Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?.mp3
  
• Kanye West - Hey Mama.mp3
  
• Sufjan Stevens - Decatur, Or, Round Of Applause For Your Stepmother!.mp3
  
• Willie Nelson - Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.mp3
  
• The Beatles - Your Mother Should Know.mp3
  
• Paul Simon - Mother and Child Reunion.mp3
  
• Tori Amos - Mother.mp3
  
• John Lee Hooker - Mama, You Got A Daughter.mp3
  
• Neil Halstead - Two Stones In My Pocket.mp3
  

(Your mother's arms will keep you safe, however you may be)

He's just looking for his queen of carrot flowers.

Ok I am going to be completely honest and admit I have absolutely NO IDEA where I found this, but it is currently making me giggle. It's a comedy sketch featuring New York alt-comedian Aziz Ansari in which he interviews a dude pretending to be an angry, agressive Neutral Milk Hotel-er Jeff Mangum. He wants to kill Beirut and get a reality dating show on VH1 ala Flavor of Love ("There's nothing neutral about that"). It's completely ridiculous and absurd and maybe even disrespectful but really it's all in good fun. It's also quite apt given tonight is the season three premiere of Flavor Flav's aforementioned reality show and yesterday of course marked the 10th anniversary of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Yeah BOY!

PSNYC Blog Radio - NMH with Aziz Ansari

How strange it is to be anything at all

Today marks the 10th(!) anniversary of the release of Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Many of you out there have been living and breathing the gospel of this un-follow-up-able album for some time now. Perhaps almost too much has been said of its beauty. Impenetrably transcendent lyricism set alongside hauntingly accessible melodies -questionably the best album of the last decade, but without a doubt, the most life-affirming. It always leaves us left knowing there's no reason to grieve.

In The Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel

Oh and hey, Stephen Colbert is a fan?!

Mix Tape III!

Another mix for your sharing pleasure; this one for a great friend celebrating a recent birthday.
22 songs / 1:18:40 total

Side "A"
4 Non Blondes - What's Up.mp3 (from Bigger, Better, Faster, More!)
To Be Sung At Maximum Volume.

Rosie Thomas & Sufjan Stevens - Say Hello.mp3 (from These Friends of Mine)
A sweet tune with two lovely voices. I love the awkward, adorable "hi" introductions at the end.

Acacia Sears - Passion Play.mp3 (from Dialtones)
Another favorite track off the album by trhe same lovley lady interviewed here a few days ago.

The Unicorns - Sea Ghost.mp3 (from Who will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?)
Every song can be improved by a 17-second sea chanty intro.

Arcade Fire - Intervention.mp3 (from Neon Bible)
I've said it before and I'll say it again: this brain-exploding tune will melt your face so as to leave your corpse unidentifiable. This is an understatement.

Neutral Milk Hotel - Two-Headed Boy.mp3 (from In The Aeroplane Over The Sea)
"Never, under any circumstances, admit you have no idea who Jeff Magnum is." --Everybody Hurts
Words to live by, there.

Weird Al - Happy Birthday.mp3 (from Weird Al)
I've managed to make a birthday mix for this person every year for four years in a row now, always including a nontraditional birthday song, and never repeating one. However, I'm beginning to run a bit low on material.

Art Brut - Good Weekend.mp3 (from Bang Bang Rock & Roll)
Jess and I once proposed to PPH that the Mountain Goats should cover this; PPH replied that he'd been already practicing the bass line that weekend (which is a wonderful, fun bassline). Cue glee.

Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks.mp3 (from Writer's Block)
The mandatory introduction to PB&J for everyone else who missed all the great music that came out last year.

Cut/Copy - Hearts on Fire.mp3 (from Cut/Copy)
Beleve it or not, this upbeat, highly dancable tune from some folks in Australia didn't come out in 1986; it came out within the last 12 months. I know, I was shocked too!

Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence.mp3 (from Violator)
Perfect transition into a classic that everyone loves (but sometimes forgets how beautiful this song really is).

Side "B"
Daniel Smith & Sufjan Stevens - Worried Shoes (Daniel Johnston cover).mp3 (from I Killed The Monster)
The two friends pair up here for a richly polished cover of one of our favorite lo-fi heroes.

The National - Ada.mp3 (from Boxer)
Moar Seekrit Soof-yawn Plz! Here he tickles the ivories with panache on one of the best songs from one of the best albums this year.

Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire - 11:11.mp3 (from The Swimming Hour)
This mix contains several duets and this is yet another, with a superb balance of male-female vocals here in a rousing Americana-tinged rock song.

Patrick Wolf - Tristan.mp3 (from Wind in the Wires)
A rough, passionate, dark and undeniably sexy song.

the Mountain Goats - Cubs in Five.mp3 (from Nine Black Poppies)
John Darnielle & Peter Peter Hughes up the "oh snap!" quoitent in this wicked sharp anti-love song.

Phish - Mmm Bop (live Hanson cover).mp3 (from A Live One) (YSI)
This is actually Phish doing an impression of James Brown's cover of Mmm Bop. Must be heard to be believed.

R.E.M. - Nightswimming.mp3 (from Automatic for the People)
The epitome of an Indian summer in New York. September's coming soon (and when it does, I too shall find myself there).

Belle & Sebastian - Your Secrets.mp3 (from the Books EP)
"I just had somebody tell me I was introspective to a fault." Wait, did I write this inappropriately bouncy song?

Holcombe Waller - Anthem.mp3 (from Extravagant Gesture)
A great man hailing from Portland, Oregon. With incredible, silky soaring falsetto vocals and digestabe lyrics, this tune redefines what rock is.

Jeff Buckley - Satisfied Mind (live Johnny Cash cover).mp3
A song for a funeral. Recorded live from the WFMU broadcast October 1992.

Tenacious D - Friendship Test.mp3 (from the self-titled album)
...It never hurts to check, just in case.

There's Nazis In The Bathroom, Just Below The Stairs

Speaking of Green Day covering songs they really have no business covering, you may have heard their take on John Lennon's "Working Class Hero." To say it makes my ears feel somewhat sad is like saying stepping on a rusty spike makes my foot fell somewhat sore. The song has been taken from the recently released "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur." The album, which consists entirely of Lennon covers, has good intentions to be sure, and some of the tracks sound promising. The Flaming Lips' take on "(Just Like) Starting Over" being a case in point. But then we have offerings like (I shudder) Avril Lavigne covering "Imagine," like (I quake) Christina Aguilera covering "Mother," like (I gag) Aerosmith covering "Give Peace A Chance." And let's not forget the God awful Green Day cover, or the Black Eyed Peas trying their hand's at "Power to the People."

And so, I offer you here, ten Lennon covers that I actually like. That do not make me want to jam needles into my own ear drums at the mere thought of them.

Jason McNiff : Tommorrow Never Knows
An acoustic rendition of the spazzed out psychadelic Revolver closer. The lyrics are incredible, and perhaps come across more here without that amazingly crazy music to compete with.

Willy Mason : Nobody Told Me
Not hugely different to the original. More restrained perhaps. I just really like Mason's voice.

Jim Reid : And Your Bird Can Sing
Where the original was light and fun, this version is gothic and creepy and really quite sinister. "Look in my direction, I'll be 'round" takes on a different kind of meaning here.

Joseph Arthur : Look At Me
A fuller, more echoey kind of sound. It plays up the drifting, floating quality of the original. Which, actualy, is a favourite of mine, so I'm going to upload that one as well. The original.

Exit Clov : Working Class Hero
Ethereal female vocals, soft at first but that slowly build up into a huge and beautiful climax. Creepy and haunting, this is everything the Green Day version is not.

Feeder : Beautiful Boy
Makes the sweetest (and saddest, given that he recorded so close to his death) Lennon song sound like a pop billboard hit. By rights I should hate this one, but I really, really, don't. It lacks the intimacy of Lennon's original, but it has its charms.

Mark Malcahy : She Said She Said
A minimalistic take, with a delicious kind of dead pan humour suggested by the vocals.


The Painted Faces : A Day In The Life
Awesomely distorted, sounds like its drifting down to you late at night through a barely found station on the am band. Chilling stuff.

Kubb : Mother
Soft, almost hesitant. Instead of trying to emulate the throat tearing intensity of the original's ending, here it is almost a triumphant, stadium like sing a long.

Jeff Mangum and Chris Knox : Mother (live)
And here they do try and match the ending. They don't even come close to the pain and emotion Lennon achieves, but they try their gosh darn hardest, bless them.

Calling all Neutral Milk Hotel Fans living in Nashville

Anybody going to this tomorrow? Despite my distaste for a capella, I'm willing to make an exception for the beauty of this event. After all, the power of In the Aeroplane is something more strongly felt, than sung. Plus free pudding. Almost makes me wish I lived in Tennessee.